Hiking plus yoga is the perfect combo. Get a two-for-one workout at these SoCal spots
'Isn't this grand?' Laurie Hang Hutter swept her arms across a swath of open green space near the hummingbird garden in Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area. Palm trees swayed in the distance and gave way to clear views of the Hollywood sign and the eastern Santa Monica Mountains.
Welcome to Hutter's fresh-air yoga studio. A small group of us had just hiked about two miles to this picturesque spot, then rolled out our mats for part two of Hike to Yoga, a donation-based monthly event organized by Hutter that combines a trek through nature with a gentle outdoor yoga class. (The next class is Feb. 15 at 8 a.m.; sign up here.)
For the next hour, Hutter led us through a series of Vinyasa flow poses followed by an eyes-closed Savasana (resting pose) that heightened the surrounding sounds of birds singing and leaves rustling in the wind. We finished with a synchronized wave of yoga poses and a short hike back to La Brea Boulevard.
Hiking and yoga have been my go-to exercise activities for years. But I never tried to merge the two until recently, when some minor leg and hip pain turned stretching into a necessary part of my pre- and post-hike routines. It wasn't hard to track down outdoor yoga events across sunny Southern California (from rooftop garages to mountaintops), but I was surprised to also find structured events like Hutter's that combined both activities, as well as trail-adjacent yoga classes that made it easy to plan a solo hike before or after class.
'It's a perfect combination,' says Gail Rudd, a volunteer yoga teacher with the Irvine Ranch Conservancy, which hosts a variety of free yoga hikes every month. 'You elevate your heart rate, warm your body and work your muscles during the hike, then use breath and movement to relax, stretch and restore your body through yoga.'
Yoga adds flexibility and strengthens lower body joints such as hips, knees and ankles, which can help with leg balancing and navigating rocky terrain, notes Elena Cheung, a Seattle-based yoga instructor and therapeutic movement specialist.
'Yoga is a very well-rounded practice with both physical and mental benefits for athletes of all kinds,' she adds. 'Hikers tend to see a pretty direct correlation between yoga and improved hiking performance or injury recovery.'
As Los Angeles continues to process the unprecedented devastation of the Eaton and Palisades fires, these local hiking and yoga activities may provide a respite from the sadness and disbelief so many of us are experiencing. They all are likely to strengthen the sense of community that we are craving right now, as well as check boxes on common New Year's resolutions like exercising more, reducing stress and spending time in nature. As an added bonus, many of them are free or donation-based.
Registration is required for the Irvine Ranch Conservancy's free yoga hikes, held regularly at Bommer Canyon, Quail Hill and other designated wilderness areas in Orange County. Classes often fill up, but there is a wait list that lets you slot in if someone cancels.
A recent Friday morning trek through Bommer Canyon near UC Irvine took us high above the marine layer on a ridge trail with limited public access. After a moderate five-mile hike, we settled with towels and mats under a pavilion on the renovated grounds of the cattle camp operated by the Irvine Co. during much of the 20th century. Yoga instructor Rudd likes to call attention to the area's cowboy roots and remind participants that the site they're on was once used to inoculate, disinfect and brand cattle.
'I ask [them] to try to imagine what the cowboys would think of us doing yoga there,' she says.
The gentle stretches and poses led by Rudd served as an ideal cooldown for our moderate hike. Equally impressive was the setting: A graceful canopy of sycamore trees, infinitely more calming than the steamy wall mirrors of a typical yoga studio, framed one side of the pavilion and helped me focus and hold my poses steady.
Yoga has been a fixture at the base of Runyon Canyon Park in Hollywood since 2000. Instructor Daniel Overberger leads donation-based classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning on a fenced-in lawn surrounded by mature trees. (Rain sometimes cancels the class; check here for updates.)
Overberger describes it as 'a basic flow-Savasana class with lots of Warrior 1 and 2,' ending in seated poses that work the body's core. I found myself focusing on a pair of giant palm trees while birds singing and the muted conversations of passersby provided background noise. It's an only-in-L.A. experience that attracts tourists, industry professionals, hikers and dog walkers. (One regular joins in outside the fence while his dogs rest in the shade.)
There's no organized hike associated with the class, but afterward, I saw several participants enjoying the popular 2.7-mile loop trail that begins nearby. (Pro tip: Allow plenty of time for parking in this dense area or that zen vibe will vanish before the first Savasana.)
Not too far away in Griffith Park (which has reopened after a brief closure in the days after the fires), veteran yoga instructor Emily Phillips Brinker leads donation-based Vinyasa flow classes on Wednesday night and Saturday morning near the bear statue at Fern Dell Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard. The Vinyasa class is designed for all levels, and hikers or parkgoers are welcome to drop in and borrow the extra mats she keeps on hand. 'We practice under the beautiful trees while squirrels frolic around, and soak in the benefits of nature while moving our bodies,' Phillips Brinker says.
Participants sometimes opt to hike the moderate Observatory Loop Trail up to the Griffith Observatory after class, Phillips Brinker says. Her advice: Ditch the earbuds and use the hike as an extension of the mindful movement you just completed by letting yourself take in and appreciate the natural surroundings.
Yoga studios from Santa Monica to Laguna Beach offer regular classes on the sand, and free or donation-based beach classes pop up on Eventbrite and other platforms throughout the year. (Phillips Brinker brings her Griffith Park yoga class south to Hermosa Beach once a month; check here for updates.)
In December, I joined a flow class led by Soho Yoga in Hermosa Beach after walking along the ocean's edge for a brisk mile. It initially felt like the least challenging of all my yoga hikes but ultimately left me feeling just as energized and calm as the others did. The salt air increased my awareness of breathing, and the sand served as a soft, comfortable landing for my joints and back. During the final Savasana, I kept my eyes open and reveled in the simple act of watching the clouds shape-shift above me. Just be sure to bring extra towels and be prepared to get sandy.
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